In a video message in support of the legislation, the Venerable Jan McFarlane Archdeacon of Norwich and Director of Communications in the Diocese, urges General Synod members to recognise that, although the legislation may be imperfect, "Anything that we do is always going to involve compromise".

“But might we allow this imperfect legislation to be a means of allowing God’s grace to shine through, and to show to an imperfect and cracked and broken world that it is possible, with God’s grace, to live together in unity even when we disagree?”

“Will the majority respect the views of the minority? Will the minority also respect the will of the majority? Because if we do, then we’ll be able to move on with this legislation, and we’ll be able to start to deal with all the very many far more outward-looking issues that we’re called on to debate as a national church; a church which is concerned not with our own internal politics, but for those who don’t yet believe.”

The full transcript of the video message is below:

Hello. My name is Jan McFarlane, and I’m the Archdeacon of Norwich and the Director of Communications in the Diocese of Norwich; a post I’ve held for some 13 years.

13 years seems like quite a long time. That’s until I reflect on the fact that the debate about whether or not women should be able to become bishops in the Church of England started when I was just 11 years old. The week when we’re going to continue that debate, and hopefully conclude it, in General Synod, I’m going to be preparing to celebrate my 48th birthday. That means we’ve been debating this issue for most of my life, and surely that’s enough waiting.

Well, where are we now? We know that 42 out of 44 dioceses want us to move ahead and pass the legislation to allow women to be bishops. We know, too, that there’s a minority, but a significant minority, who don’t want us to move forward in this way, and we’re being called, in the legislation we’re to vote on, to respect their position.

Of course, we’ve already demonstrated that we do respect their position, because if not, we would have simply gone for a single-clause legislation. We would have said the vast majority in the Church want to see female bishops, and therefore female bishops we will have. A single-clause, straightforward legislation. But we didn’t do that. We agreed to respect the views of the minority, and to wait a little bit longer, and to try to find a legislation which would hold us all together.

Well, now we’re asking the minority to also compromise; to respect the views of the majority, and to vote in favour of this new legislation on the 20th November.

It strikes me as very significant that we’re being asked to vote on this legislation during All Saints’ Tide. The time when we remember those who’ve gone before us and who’ve handed onto us the torch of faith; those who, in the words of the Book of Common Prayer, were chosen vessels of God’s grace, and lights to the world in their several generations. Chosen vessels of God’s grace; vessels which Saint Paul reminds us are cracked and broken and imperfect, and as a result allow God’s grace to shine through.

The legislation we’re being asked to vote on is imperfect. Let’s be perfectly honest about that. But it’s the best that we’re ever going to do, because we’ll never find a perfect legislation. We’re trying to hold together two opposing views. Anything that we do is always going to involve compromise. But might we allow this imperfect legislation to be a means of allowing God’s grace to shine through, and to show to an imperfect and cracked and broken world that it is possible, with God’s grace, to live together in unity even when we disagree?

In other words, will the majority respect the views of the minority? But will the minority also respect the will of the majority? Because if we do, then we’ll be able to move on with this legislation, and we’ll be able to start to deal with all the very many far more outward-looking issues that we’re called on to debate as a national church; a church which is concerned not with our own internal politics, but for those who don’t yet believe.

Then, maybe, we can prove that Synod; yes, even Synod, cracked and broken and imperfect though it is, has the means to be a vessel of God’s grace, and a light to the world in our own generation.

So we’ve waited long enough. Let’s vote yes on the 20th November, and thank you for watching.